Fast Car
by pancakesareking
Summary: Yaoi[DukexJoey] Joey just wants to get away, and Duke is willing to humor him with a road trip. Arguments, fist fights, and kisses are inevitable. One-shot.


Buenos Dias, Duckies!

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Title: Fast Car

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Pairing: Joey/Duke

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Summary: Joey just wants to get away, and Duke is willing to humor him with a road trip. Somewhere along the line, Duke thinks of Joey as less of a dog, and more of a friend. One-shot and yaoi.

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Rating: PG-13

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Author's Notes: This was just an idea I got one day when I was listening to the song "Fast Cars" on the radio. The part about a dad who drinks automatically made me think of Joey, and since I couldn't see Seto dropping everything to go on a road trip, I figured Duke would work just fine. I'm sorry if anyone has ever used the song before similarly, or if someone else thought up this plot.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Really, I don't! I don't even know how to play the card game.

You got a fast car I want a ticket to anywhere Maybe we make a deal Maybe together we can get somewhere Anyplace is better Starting from zero got nothing to lose Maybe we'll make something But me myself I got nothing to prove You got a fast car And I got a plan to get us out of here I been working at the convenience store Managed to save just a little bit of money We won't have to drive too far Just 'cross the border and into the city You and I can both get jobs And finally see what it means to be living You see my old man's got a problem He live with the bottle that's the way it is He says his body's too old for working I say his body's too young to look like his My mama went off and left him She wanted more from life than he could give I said somebody's got to take care of him So I quit school and that's what I did You got a fast car But is it fast enough so we can fly away We gotta make a decision We leave tonight or live and die this way I remember we were driving driving in your car The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk City lights lay out before us And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder And I had a feeling that I belonged And I had feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone You got a fast car And we go cruising to entertain ourselves You still ain't got a job And I work in a market as a checkout girl I know things will get better You'll find work and I'll get promoted We'll move out of the shelter Buy a big house and live in the suburbs You got a fast car And I got a job that pays all our bills You stay out drinking late at the bar See more of your friends than you do of your kids I'd always hoped for better Thought maybe together you and me would find it I got no plans I ain't going nowhere So take your fast car and keep on driving You got a fast car But is it fast enough so you can fly away You gotta make a decision You leave tonight or live and die this way 

-Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

-**Fast Car**-

Joey stared down at the knapsack lying on his bed morosely. His whole life fit into that bag, sadly enough. A wrinkled up twenty-dollar bill, some jeans, four t-shirts, just enough underwear, a jacket, an overused toothbrush, his dueling cards, a picture of Serenity, and a battered CD player with only a few accompanying CD's.

So this was running away?

It wasn't hard at all, Joey realized. He'd figured there would at least be dramatic music like in the movies, or tears streaming down his face because he didn't really want to run away, but it had to be done. Unfortunately, he did want to run away.

His eyes wandered up to the corner of his room, where a spider had deserted its web. How typical, he thought. Poor people just had to have cobwebs in their apartment, or they weren't really poor. He had to chuckle at that thought. It wasn't his lifestyle that was driving him away from home; after all, he had a nice blue bedspread and a soft pillow, not to mention a cool beanbag chair he and Honda had used to lounge around in. No, it was something else that made him want to leave home.

It was his dad.

Well, Joey used to think of him as a dad. Now he just thought of him as the poor SOB that spent all of his time drinking and watching TV, criticizing Joey for his bad grades and always playing with his cards. And then there was the bruise under Joey's eye. He told himself over and over that it was his own fault for calling his dad a loser, and saying he could "see why mom left."

Plus, his dad had been drunk. He wasn't the abusive type; he was too lazy.

When Joey thought of a dad, he thought of the cool guys on TV who would bond with their sons over something as simple as fishing or driving a car. After getting several DWI's, Mr. Wheeler's license had been suspended, and their car had been taken away.

Sure, Joey had his license, like every other seventeen-year-old kid he knew. But without a car, it made driving hard as hell to accomplish. Thus, Joey would be running away on foot, the old fashioned way. His plan was to hitchhike to... Well, he hadn't really figured that part out yet.

He would though.

"I'm going to get more beer from the market. Need anything?"

'Just to get away from you,' Joey thought. Aloud, he answered, "Nah, I'm good."

The telltale distant footsteps and the slamming of a door announced that Mr. Wheeler had left. Sighing deeply, Joey zipped his bag up and slung it over his shoulder.

Before he left, Joey grabbed a pen and some paper. In his usual messy scrawl, he wrote note describing an emergency at Yugi's and needing to stay there for a while. P.S., he'd be in touch.

In the hall, an old woman grinned and asked if he was going to a sleepover, to which nodded. It wasn't like he'd ever see her again anyway, so Joey didn't have a problem lying.

Although, once the old lady said it, he told himself he was going to a sleepover.

To Joey, it sounded so much easier than running away.

He didn't see anyone else he knew on the way out of the apartment building, and the streets were fairly empty. His dad was nowhere in sight. It was colder than he had expected (it was summer; naturally he expected to have to **remove** clothing), so he unzipped his bag and pulled on his jacket over his short sleeved shirt.

To the left was the corner store, and to the right was the Card Shop. Straight ahead was just a bunch of shop littering the side of the road.

Joey went straight.

He'd only been walking five minutes when a car began to slow down beside him. Joey scowled and looked at his feet. He would be so embarrassed if someone thought he was prostituting or something. It didn't seem that unlikely; after all, it was nearly midnight, and Joey had never really been out past eleven in that part of the city.

Deciding to keep walking, Joey only paused when a voice called out, "Wheeler?"

Joey spun around, facing the car.

Obviously, it was new. The dark green paint shimmered in the streetlight, and the windows were tinted to near black. One window was cracked slightly, enough so that Joey could hear the voice, but not see the owner. The car itself was small and sporty, and only had two doors, but there seemed to be a back seat. Only Seto would drive a car that nice, and Seto had much deeper, asshole-ish voice.

To his surprise, the passenger's window rolled all the way down and the driver was none other than Duke Devlin. His hair was pulled back loosely—he obviously hadn't expected to be seen by anyone—and he wore a plain black shirt with some dark pants. A single die hung from one of his ears. He wore his customary makeup, and Joey had to wonder if he ever went without it.

"What the hell are you doing walking around so late? Are you trying to mugged for insurance purposes?"

Chocolate brown eyes rolled, and Joey replied, "Am I that transparent? And just what the hell are you doing driving around at midnight? Looking for hookers?"

In a voice hauntingly similar to Joey's, Duke mocked, "Am I that transparent?" In a normal voice, he asked, "You need a ride?"

Joey gaped. "Is that some sort of sick joke? Do I have to dress up or anything?"

"Depends. Does dressing up cost extra?"

For a second, Joey just stood awkwardly next to Duke's expensive car, his brown eyes wide in surprise. Then he began to laugh. "Yeah, I need a ride. I got money, so I can pay you for it later."

Piercing green eyes met Joey's in the rear view mirror. "No offense, Wheeler, but I don't need your money."

Joey shrugged. "Saves me twenty bucks," he said with a grin.

Taking his eyes off the road once more, Duke spared him a weird look. "Where am I taking you?"

"Anywhere."

It had taken twelve minutes to get out of Domino.

It was implied that conversation wasn't allowed in the nice car.

Joey hated silence.

They'd been driving for thirty minutes when Joey finally worked up the courage to ask to turn on the radio.

"Whatever," Duke said.

It was too fucking hi-tech, Joey wanted to tell Duke. If he hadn't heard other kids at school talking about their complex stereo systems, he wouldn't have known which button to press. It took about two minutes to figure out how to change to radio channel, during which Joey pretended to wonder if he liked the song playing.

When he finally found a song he liked, he peered out of the corner of his eyes at Duke, who smiled slightly. "You like 'dis song?"

Slightly embarrassed, Duke shrugged. "It's alright." Desperate to change the subject, he asked, "So are you running away or something?"

"I guess."

"Isn't that a bit cowardly?"

"I ain't no coward," Joey snapped. He turned to face Duke, ready to rant, but the other boy turned towards him as well, and the sharp green eyes took his breath away. They widened slightly, and the car swerved before Duke turned them back to the road. It was a bad habit of his.

"Nice bruise. Get in a street fight?" He spat the term out like it was too distasteful to even think of, but there was real curiosity in his voice.

"Nah, my dad was just a little too drunk. It was my fault."

Duke snorted. "Oh. Did you trip and fall onto his fist?"

Unable to stop himself, Joey blushed. "I was outta place. I said some pretty messed up shit."

"You make up a lot of excuses."

"Shut up!"

Duke moved his fingers around the radio dials and soon a new song was playing. "Now that was out of place. This is my car. I'm driving you somewhere. That was pretty rude. I'm sure you were only being honest to your father."

"I always thought honesty was rewarded," Joey muttered.

"I think you and your dad have something in common."

Ah, perfect. So Duke was a psychologist. Joey leaned down further in his seat, wriggling around in his seatbelt. It was a vain attempt to get comfortable. "Yeah, what's that?"

"You can't stand to hear the truth about yourself."

"I don't think anyone can," Joey retorted.

There was a slightly pause. Duke turned left. "I think that's the smartest thing you've ever said."

"I can handle the fact that you think I'm an idiot."

"You are an idiot. You're also loud, rude, obnoxious, and extremely slow on the uptake."

Joey didn't feel like answering back. After all, that was just Duke's opinion. Duke didn't like him.

Duke hummed thoughtfully. "But then, you're also loyal, and friendly, and you went through all that shit to help you sister, so maybe you're not that bad of a person."

A blush heated Joey's cheeks. He was about to thank Duke when the other boy said, "But you're still an idiot."

"Shut up!" It didn't have the usual empty threat in it; Joey was too busy trying to listen to the radio.

After a few minutes of nothing but music, Duke finally spoke up. "I drive when I can't sleep."

Joey looked at him silently. That was new. Duke was initiating conversation.

"It's an old habit. I mean, I'm only seventeen, so I haven't been able to drive long, but I think my mom used to drive me around when I was a baby to get me to fall asleep."

"Yeah, ma did that for me and Serenity, too."

If Duke heard him, he didn't acknowledge it. "Insomnia is a bitch. Once I talking to my cheerleaders for three hours on speaker phone, just listening to them tell me how great I was."

Joey snorted and said, "I hope that wasn't to fall asleep to. They got the most annoying voices I ever heard."

"You must not listen to yourself very often," Duke murmured. Joey almost laughed.

"So, how long do you drive before you get tired?"

"Usually around midnight. But tonight... You were just walking, and who am I to watch a stray dog wander around the city?"

"You're a sweet guy," Joey agreed sarcastically.

"Anyway," Duke said quickly, "I'm getting tired now. You can drive, right?"

Joey only stared, before spluttering, "Y-yeah..."

"Mm. Well, you take over."

Joey didn't say anything as they pulled over to the curb. He had just expected Duke to drop him off somewhere once he got tired of his company; driving the car wasn't even an idea he was willing to take on earlier. Did it mean Duke trusted him?

As if reading his mind, Duke said, "It's not like I trust you or anything, I'm just tired."

They swapped places, Joey walked around the car stiffly while Duke climbed over his seat into the back, where he stretched out as best he could. He pillowed his head on his arms and shut his eyes.

After switching gears and pulling pack onto the road, Joey looked at Duke in the rear view mirror nervously. "Where are we going?"

Over the music, Joey almost didn't hear the quiet response.

"Anywhere."

Duke woke up somewhere between the diner and the drug store of some city Joey couldn't even remember the name of. It was nearly six a.m., and Duke was surprised to see Joey wide awake at the wheel.

Panic crept into his system, wondering what the hell Joey was doing in his car. **Driving** his car.

Insomnia.

Wheeler.

Running away.

Oh, right. Well, that was a relief. At least Joey hadn't kidnapped him or anything.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up a bit, before realizing how cold it was in the car. Damn, Duke thought, Wheeler must have the AC on thirty degrees Fahrenheit! So why in the hell had he been so warm sleeping? A look down at his lap answered that question. Joey's oversized jacket was draped there, and it must have slid off when he woke up. Chalking it up as another one of Joey's 'thank-you' gifts, Duke climbed into the passenger's seat. Joey jumped in surprise.

"Hey, you sleep good?"

"Well. It's did you sleep 'well'," Duke corrected automatically, feeling a bit bad when Joey scowled.

"Sorry. I ain't no valedictorian or nothin, ya know."

Danger, Duke, Danger! Little sirens went off in Duke's head, mainly noting the fact that Wheeler was in control of the car. "I slept pretty well. Thanks for the jacket."

Instead of taking the thanks as Duke had expected, Joey saw it as a hint. He shut off the air, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry bout that. I just got so hot I turned on the air. Figured you wouldn't appreciate it much."

Duke gave an affirmative nod.

"Anyway," Joey continued, "I stopped for gas, and picked this up for you."

He reached into a small bag and pulled out a coke and an oddly wrapped burrito. Duke didn't much prefer either, but accepted them. Food was food, after all, and he _was_ hungry. With a murmured "thanks" he bit into the burrito, groaning as he chewed. God, when was the last time he had eaten? It'd been too damn long. What with work and all...

"You're too damn skinny," Joey muttered.

Mouth full of burrito, Duke replied, "Like you're one to talk."

"I'm not that skinny!"

"Wheeler, your shirt is practically hanging off of you. You're probably skinnier than I am."

"Am not!"

"I don't know how you do it, I mean you eat every five minutes like you've been starved your whole life."

"You make me sound like a pig."

Duke stared at him. "You are a pig, Joey!"

For a second, Duke was horrified Joey would notice his slip, but the blond simply went on talking. "I just have a high meta—uh, metebo—damn it!"

"Metabolism?"

"Yeah! I got a high metabolism!"

"Well, now that we've figured that out, shall we listen to some music?"

Joey blushed and turned on the radio. "I, uh, turned it off so you could sleep better."

"How sweet."

"I try, asshole, I try. I mean, a thanks would have worked."

"I'll take over again. You can sleep or something."

"But don't you have work or something?"

"No."

"But—"

"Hmm, I have to pee. Let's swap places at that gas station up ahead."

Joey sighed and pulled into the gas station.

It was Duke's idea to stay in the hotel; Joey wouldn't have picked anything near as pricey. And all his insistences too sleep in the car were scoffed at. It was really sort of a learning experience, since he had only read about scoffing; he'd never actually heard someone scoff.

So he and Duke were sharing a room, but thankfully not a bed. The dark-haired boy wasn't in a rush to spend all of his money on separate rooms, as he had told Joey when he asked why they had to share a room.

"Plus, that way I can keep track of you—make sure you don't run away," Duke had reasoned.

It seemed like good enough logic to Joey. It seemed implied in the offer not to ask why Duke was doing any of this—why he was driving with Joey, why he was letting him stay in a nice hotel, why he had let the blond drive the obscenely expensive car, why he had pulled over in the first place and called out to him—and Joey wasn't one to give up a nice hotel room just to ask a few questions.

Although he did ask a few. "Why in the hell is the curtain see-through?"

"It could have something to do with that camera over the door and the way the check-in lady winked at me... My god, you are so gullible."

"Shaddup. Uh, which soap do I use to wash my hands?" He gestured vaguely to the multiple bars of soap littering the sink.

"I don't know," Duke growled. Seconds later he was fighting a yawn. "Just pick one. I'm going to sleep."

"But it's eight in the morning."

Duke paused halfway to the bed and turned. His green eyes were challenging. "Ask me if I care."

"Uh... Do you care?"

"NO!"

Seconds later the phone rang, and the manager asked that, due to complaints, could they please keep the noise down. Duke fell asleep with a scowl on his face.

Joey sat on his own bed, and watched Duke. The other boy didn't look very relaxed as he slept, although the shirt he had changed into looked a hell of a lot more comfortable than the tight one he had been sporting before. To Joey's surprise, when they had pulled up to the hotel, Duke had a duffel bag full of clothes and other necessities in his trunk. When asked about it, he just said he had to spend some nights at his company.

It was weird, the way Duke was so devoted to his company, but still had time for everything else in life. Sometimes he would appear at Yugi's house to watch a movie, only to end up trying to charm Serenity into sitting on the loveseat with him instead of sitting on the couch with Tristan.

That made Joey scowl. It was enough his sister had just gotten out of surgery a few months before; she didn't need too boys trying to rush her into a relationship that would either A) last for a long time or B) last until the publicity died down. Which was why Joey if Joey had to pick one man for his sister, it would be Tristan. He, at least, was totally enamored with Serenity, while Duke just seemed to enjoy seeing Tristan get so upset all of the time.

A harsh rumbling in Joey's stomach broke his train of thought. Ah, right on time. Breakfast would be perfect, and maybe later he would get a midmorning snack, followed by some brunch...

He got quietly and walked over to Duke's bed. The other boy didn't even move when Joey sat on his bed, though he did mutter something when Joey poked his cheek. "Pssst."

Duke rolled over, and somewhere along the way a strand of hair fell onto his nose. As gently as possible, Joey guided it back behind Duke's ear. The soft smile he got in return was a total surprise and left Joey speechless. Duke really was beautiful. But that was stupid—boys weren't beautiful. Joey rolled his eyes. Honestly, what a girly thing to think.

"We'll settle on sexy," he muttered, and promptly blushed.

Bad Joey, bad, he chastised himself, you can't be attracted to him. He's an asshole, and he thinks he's better than you are. You like pretty girls, who smile nicely and never correct you.

If only he could make himself believe it.

"Bastard," he whispered to Duke.

Duke didn't stir. Joey cleared his throat and poked the boy again, this time in the stomach, where his short sleeved shirt was riding up slightly. "Duke," Joey whispered loudly, "I'm gonna order room service, you want anything?"

"Mm."

Joey couldn't even ask what kind of answer that was before he was pulled onto the slender body beside him. Thin, but muscled arms slid around his waist and soft breath washed along his cheeks. Oh, Christ, if he could stop blushing for two seconds he would give himself five dollars... So obviously, he wasn't thinking clearly. It was hard not to be attracted to someone when you were stuck on top of their perfect, smooth, pretty body. Joey did the only think he could think of; he screamed his most manly scream.

Jade eyes snapped open, focusing slowly. "Joey... What the hell… Are you molesting me?"

Joey took advantage of Duke's surprise and wriggled out of his arms. He found safety in his own bed, from which he could easily glare at Duke.

"Idiot! You're the one molesting me! I was just going to ask if you wanted anything from room service when you pulled me over like your fucking teddy bear."

"Why would I want room service if I was sleeping?"

Joey looked down suddenly. "It was... Okay, so it was sort of my way of asking if I could get room service."

"You have a shitty way of asking questions."

"You have a shitty way of answering them," Joey retorted. "Was that a yes?"

"If you weren't so fucking stupid, you would know it was!" Duke yelled.

Joey growled, and in a move he wouldn't exactly describe as childish, he chucked his pillow at Duke. To his amusement, he hit the other boy right in the nose.

"The fuck? Oh, I am so bruising your other eye."

Before Duke could even raise his fist threateningly, the phone rang again.

The management requested that, please sirs, could he and his "friend" keep the noise down, because other patrons were trying to sleep.

Duke threw the phone at the wall.

"So," Joey said softly, but with a grin. "No room service?"

"Dumbass."

"Jerk."

They set out again at midnight. It seemed appropriate somehow; at least, Joey thought so. They had both slept through the afternoon, after Duke made up some bullshit story about a monster cockroach on the wall and the phone being the only thing he could throw at it. The manager didn't believe it, although she did believe the extra two hundred dollars he gave for the room.

"Bitch," he'd muttered on the way out to the car.

"Amen to that!"

Joey put his book bag in the trunk with Duke's stuff. Duke didn't comment, simply got in the driver's seat and turned on the car. Joey hastily climbed in, an inane fear that Duke would leave him climbing up the back of his throat.

"Buckle up," Duke warned, "I don't want to get a ticket because of you."

Joey glared at him. "You could afford it!"

He was a bit unnerved when Duke didn't answer.

"Uh, Duke..."

"Your eye looks better."

"Huh?" So maybe Joey wasn't the most eloquent boy in Japan...

Duke smiled nervously (something Joey had never seen). "Your eye looks better. Well, it still looks like shit, but, you know, it doesn't look as shitty."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Dumbass."

"You really do suck at answering questions. I mean, most people would give a 'yes' or 'no.'"

Duke sped up the car and turned on the radio. "I'm not most people."

"Yeah, because most people who bother wearing makeup wears it on both eyes."

"Joey, it's a tattoo."

"Huh?" Ah, Joey probably wouldn't have liked the idea of eloquence anyway.

"Please don't tell me you thought it was makeup. Jesus, even Taylor knows it's a tattoo."

An embarrassed blush was the answer.

If Duke were a nice guy, he would have pat Joey sympathetically on the shoulder and told him it was a common mistake.

But Duke wasn't a nice guy. He laughed like hell. "I can't believe you thought I wore makeup. I mean, I may be gay but I—"

Joey didn't say anything.

"You do know gay means 'happy,' right? Or are you that stupid..." Duke voice died down, the taunt becoming empty. "Look, you're an idiot, I'm gay. Fucking deal with it," he yelled.

"Why can't you afford the ticket?" Joey asked quietly.

"Look, I can afford it, I just don't want to pay for shit because you're too lazy to put on a seatbelt."

"Why..."

"Are you that stupid, Joey?"

Joey growled, suddenly tired of Duke's bullshit. He could take being made fun of. After all, Seto rubbed his face in his idiocy all of the time. Duke wasn't being fair though. It was berating a child for not knowing the rules. And Joey didn't like being treated like a child. He would act like a kid now and again, but Duke wasn't going to treat him like one just because he was doing him a favor!

"WHY CAN'T YOU PAY FOR THE FUCKING TICKET?"

"I QUIT MY JOB," Duke screamed.

The car rolled to a stop. They weren't anywhere crowded, so Duke didn't have to worry about angry drivers behind him. Surprising even himself, he slammed his fist repeatedly into the horn. If it wasn't so serious, Joey would have laughed or something. If he had laughed though, it wouldn't be anything like Duke's current laughter. It was an ugly, bitter sound that Joey didn't like one bit. It didn't suit the confident—and sometimes egotistical—young man he knew so well.

"Wha—"

"I'd figure it would be in the papers by now, or on the news or something." Duke spoke in an empty voice, his eyes lowered to his lap. "I sold my company to Kaiba Corp. Seto has been nagging me about it for months. I finally caved. I mean, it's not like the game would ever be as popular as Duel Monsters..."

He didn't even see Joey's hand move. It slammed into his face, the force knocking his head against the window. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he glared at the blond boy in his passenger's seat. Joey was fuming too, and seemed doubly as pissed as Duke was.

"What the hell?"

Joey shoved his door open and stomped around the Duke's side. He pulled the other boy out and slammed him down onto the pavement. "You goddamned bastard!" Joey shouted. In the coherent part of his mind, he was glad there weren't any bystanders to witness his rage.

If one thing could be said about Duke it was that he wasn't a total wimp when it came to fights. Sure, he hated for his pretty face to be marred, but he could still dodge hits like a pro. And dodge he did.

"What the hell is your problem?" Duke yelled, rolling over to avoid Joey's wayward foot.

"You made me dress up like a dog for nothing!"

Duke paused, barely noticing when Joey kicked his hip. So that was his problem? His anger and confusion fled, replaced by hysterical laughter.

Ugh! Bastard, he thought, asshole. Joey paused midkick when he heard the laughter. Afraid the other boy had snapped, he kneeled down beside him. "Hey," he snapped, "I was sort of in the middle of kicking your ass."

Duke tackled him. They rolled around on the pavement, neither noticing how cold it was. The moon shone down on them brightly, illuminating their every move. Finally they rolled to a stop, Duke straddling Joey's hips.

"So, you got a little problem with getting dressed up in a puppy suit, huh?"

Joey glared. "Damn straight."

"Ah, but you were so cute." Duke ground his hips down. "Totally fuckable," he growled.

"Shaddup!"

Duke didn't shut up, though. He prodded Joey's black eye roughly, ignoring the pained gasps. "So you and your old man do have a lot in common. You can't handle the truth."

"SHUT UP!"

"That's why you left, isn't it? You couldn't stand that you have so much in common. You couldn't wait around to become just like him."

Joey attempted to punch him. "That's not true!" Part of him wanted to kick Duke's ass, and part of him wanted to molest it.

Duke sat firmly on his hips still, and pinned both of Joey's hands to the ground. His face was inches from Joey's. It was both the most erotic and embarrassing position Joey had ever been in. "So then, Wheeler, what would old daddy dearest do if a gay guy was sitting on his dick?"

"He sure as hell wouldn't do this!" Joey shot up, crashing their lips together in a brutal kiss. Without much else to do, Duke responded. He groaned as he thought back to Joey in the puppy suit, pouting adorably, his face heated with an angered flush. Oh, Duke could be one kinky bastard.

Joey pulled away after a second. He was panting, although they hadn't done much more than move their lips together. His face was flushed, and his eyes were wide, peering up at Duke. Suddenly, Joey grinned. "Wow, that got rid of a lot of pent up anger. And frustration. I've wanted to do that for so long..."

Duke stared down at him as if he'd grown another head. "Well, I'm so glad you feel better because I—" He thought about it. Come to think of it, he'd wanted to do that for a long time too. Fear of rejection had kept him away from it mostly. Oh, god, Joey had kissed him. What in the hell were the chances that both of them were gay? Oh well...

He sighed deeply and collapsed on top of Joey. Lamely, he said, "I feel better too."

Gently, Joey rolled Duke off of him. He stood up and dusted himself off. There were no street signs around, or anything that would give a hint to their location. Joey didn't know if it was possible to be in the middle of nowhere in Japan. Huh.

"Well," he said slowly, "I think we should stay here for the night."

Duke opened his eyes tiredly, apparently drained of energy once more. Joey would have to ask if he was anemic, or diabetic, or something. "There's nothing but the car." As an afterthought, he added, "Dumbass."

A tanned hand reached down to help him up, and together they walked back to the car. Joey hummed cheerfully. "We could both fit in the backseat," he calculated, eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

A tired snort, followed by, "Fat chance."

"Good thing we're both so fucking skinny," Joey chirped. His upbeat mood was belied by the yawn that suddenly interrupted whatever he had planned on saying next.

"Mm."

"So, about this road trip..."

He had meant to ask if it was still on, when Duke said, "I get to pick where we go."

Joey shoved him away and climbed into the back seat. "Fat chance," he threw back Duke's earlier words.

Duke climbed in after him, draping his body over Joey's. Except for the seatbelt buckle digging into Joey's back, it was completely comfortable. Duke initiated the next kiss, just a short goodnight peck on the lips.

Joey accepted it with a smile.

"So," he asked sleepily, "next hotel, can we get just one bed?"

"For you, the honeymoon suite," Duke answered sarcastically.

"And I can use any soap I want?"

"And then some."

Joey wrapped his arms around Duke's slim waist. "Mm. And Duke…?"

"Hmm?"

"Next time, can I order room service?"

Duke kissed him again, partly to shut the blond up, and partly because he wanted to. He didn't want to rain on Joey's parade, telling him they could only afford a few more hotels, and that they would have to save a lot of money for gas and food.

But then, Joey would probably holler or hoot or something else completely idiotic, with that blind optimism of his…

He'd probably point out that Duke had a fast car.

And that was all they needed. They could play the rest by ear.

After all, wasn't that what road trips were all about?

-Fin-

Ah! I'm so fucking glad to be done with this. I don't care if it sucked ass, it's the longest story I've ever written and I love the pairing. Poo on you if you don't too. I rhymed. Okay, I'm tired, so I'm going to bed now.

Oh, oh, my birthday was two weeks ago, so, so, this is the first story I've written as a seventeen year old. WOO!

Flame me, love me, do whatever you want. Just do SOMETHING. Let me know what you THINK.


End file.
